ST. LOUIS — For the fourth year in a row, the Bradley men’s basketball team finds itself in the dreaded play-in round of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.

There are some differences this season as the seventh-seeded Braves (12-19, 7-11) take on 10th-seeded Loyola (9-21, 5-13) at 8:35 p.m. Thursday.

First, the opponent is somebody besides Drake. BU and the Bulldogs have matched up the past three seasons, with Drake winning the last two.

Bradley also swept Loyola this season and assumes the favorite’s role.

Finally, as the No. 7 seed in the year when Wichita State was totally dominant in the league, Bradley with a win would play No. 2 Indiana State in the quarterfinals. BU played Indiana State close both times and the Sycamores bring a three-game losing streak into the tournament.

“Our NCAA tournament begins Thursday,” BU coach Geno Ford said. “Having a good run in St. Louis would be good for our younger guys to build on. It helps recruiting. If you end on a high note, it doesn’t erase what’s been, in a lot of ways, a disappointing season from a results perspective. But it at least leaves a better taste in your mouth for the offseason.”

The Braves aren’t looking past Loyola by any means. But there’s no better team for Bradley to play in an attempt to end its four-game losing streak in St. Louis and its 25-game losing skid in games played west of the Mississippi River.

Two of the Ramblers’ worst performances of the season came against Bradley. Loyola, which shot 47 percent from the field for the season, hit at just 34 and 27 percent, respectively, in the two meetings with BU.

The newest Valley members averaged just 46 points vs. the Braves and 66.1 vs. the rest of the league. And they committed a total of 41 turnovers in the two BU contests.

“They did a great job of pressuring us,” Loyola coach Porter Moser said. “We committed 18 and 23 turnovers and they capitalized on them. You can’t compete when you do that. Physically, we didn’t do a good job answering the bell.”

Ford emphasized that the Braves need a similar effort Thursday and also need to rebound better. Loyola pounded BU on the boards 91-67 in the two games.

“We have to match their physicalness on the glass,” Ford said. “They’re really physical. Also, (Loyola freshman guard) Milton Doyle has had a great year, but hasn’t played like he’s capable of against us. I’m sure he’ll be anxious to get that turned around. He’s a dynamic offensive player who lights you up in a hurry.”

Page 2 of 2 - Doyle copped both theValley’s Freshman and Newcomer of the Year awards this week.

“Winning the awards means I’ve had a good year so far,” Doyle said. “But it’ll mean a lot more if we play better at the tournament. Bradley has good ball-screen defense. We need to be more aggressive and limit our turnovers.”

Since this is Loyola’s first year in the league, Bradley has the obvious edge in tournament experience, even though that experience hasn’t been positive.

“We don’t have anybody in our locker room who’s experienced a lot of success down there,” Ford said. “It can be a positive that you know what to expect. But we’re not exactly drawing on positive memories of good performances. Walt’s had a couple of tough ballgames the last two years (and has just 39 total points in four St. Louis games).

“Tyshon (Pickett) fouled out of last year’s game and got an elbow violation that sealed our fate late in the game. I hope those two play with a resolve and a chip on their shoulder.”

Dave Reynolds can be reached at 686-3210 or at dreynolds@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @davereynolds2.